Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-05-13
archer NJ Khuxaah. n mighty man to

archer Of Khunah, Q mighty man to
bend the bow, and he asked the archer,
Hast thou an arrow left, my son!'
And the man looked to where Rabyah
was, and replied. fearfully, Zone only
and il is for my life"
But Nubaishah said: ''Thy life is safe
now. Shoot the arrow, my SON; shoot
at the gray mare"
And the mare saw the arrow coming.
and leaped aside; and Rabyah fell upon
his face. Then, for the first time, all
the men of Sulaim knew that he was
dead, and they sent up a great shout.
And they went up to where he lay,
and looked upon him, and wondered,
and they spoiled him Of his helmet and
his broken shirt of mail and his lance
and sword and his sandals. But the
mare had fled toward the tents Of the
Beni-Firaz, and none might overtake her.
And swart Nubaishah muttered:
.There was no other like him among
the men Of Firaz. l almost repent me
to have slain him." And a wild man Of
Sulaim. marveling, smote the foot of his
spear into the dead mans eye. and cried
aloud, in the u~ncouthness of his admIra-
ton, God curse thee.-a man who de-
fendeth his women even after he is
dead.'
But QUINN Saiyar and the women had
reached the tents of the Benz Firaz, and
aroused the tribe. And the best men Of
the camp sprung TO horses in haste, and
rode fiercely to the Pass of Ghazal; but
they only found Rabyah lying there,
naked and dead, and the vultures c~ircling
above him. And leaving him there, they
pursued 50 furiuusly after the sons Of
Sulaim that the log way smoked beneath
them: Yet they could not overtake them,
So they rode back TO where Rabyah
lay, and they buried him there. with
great mourning, in the place of his last
and greatest deed. And they built above
him a hill of black stones to mark the
spot. and in the midst thereof. at the
summit, they set up a great white stone,
shaped like the back Of a camel.
And never thereafter-until the DAYS
of the Prophet-did any Arab of any tribe
pass that way who did not sacrifice Q
camel in honor of the valiant one who
had defended his women even after ht
was dead. Except, indeed, HATS, son OF
Al-Ahnaf. who, having but one camel,
could not make the sacrifice: but he com
posed an immortal poem in honor OF
Rabyah. and his verses are still in the
mouths Of the Arabian people
And never a son If Firaz passed that
way to war who did not cry out unto
Rabyah: La tab'adan! Abide with Us,
Be with us this day, O Rabyah.'
And after Islam. not less than in tn,
Days Of Ignorance, the wives of the des
ert horsemen prayed that they might he
come mothers Of brave tall boys worthy
to lear Rabyah's name.
And whenever, in time Of foray. or il
DAYS Of i'll fortune Of war. or amid IN,
ghastS perils Of desert travel, womer
found themselves face TO face with tn
fear If shame. they would cry ont tin
name Of him upon whom no woman la,
eve called vainly in those wild. daTl
days before Islam.
And Islam itself. spreading like a hol,
fire east and west. 200 DAYS iourne,
from ln,lia 10 the Sea Of Darkness. bor,
abroad his NAME. and flashed il far int,
the black south, making ii known unit,
the blue eyed Touareg, whose camel
dance TO the sound of music-making j
known 10 those swart sultan's whose do
mains do border upon the unknown lake
of Afrikia.-Lafcadio lIearn in Harper
Bazaar.